Hello, my name is Kelly. I was raised in a Christian home with loving parents, Don and Lenee, the oldest of three children. As a child, my parents went above and beyond to set a good example for us and provide perspective on life. One story that illustrates this well is from a Christmas when I was eight years old. We lived in California at the time, and I complained that my presents weren’t name-brand. My parents, who had the opportunity to bring supplies and gifts to people in Mexico, decided to pack up our station wagon and take us there. We gave everything we had in that station wagon to people living in cardboard boxes. I remember thinking, “I will never complain again.”
With such a strong foundation, I attended church throughout my childhood and teenage years. I ran track and played soccer all four years of high school, eventually earning a full scholarship to play soccer at a very well known college. After one year, I transferred to Missouri State to pursue graphic design. I attended college for four years, though I didn’t graduate and still have nearly enough credits for a bachelor’s degree. I spent a season teaching English in Santiago, Chile, and my dad and I completed two triathlons in my 20s. I also went on short-term medical and construction mission trips to Venezuela three times with a local church.
On the surface, it seemed like I had a healthy life. But in reality, I had been struggling with substance abuse since I was 16. Sports and family activities kept me out of a lot of trouble back then, and while I always believed in God, I didn’t understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with Him. Like many, I had a pride problem and often lied to myself, thinking, “The rules apply to others, but not to me.” This mindset caused pain for those around me. I justified my substance use by telling myself alcohol was legal and weed “wasn’t that bad.”
My reliance on substances kept me from developing a real relationship with God and enjoying the fruits that come with it. I landed good jobs but lost them within a year or two, and I struggled to maintain healthy relationships. I got two DWIs in my 20s (and deserved more) before becoming addicted to pain medication in my late 20s. My parents tried to get me into rehab, but my pride wouldn’t let me. I moved to Kansas City and spent two years on methadone, but I still lost jobs and relationships. By the time I was 32, I felt like I had slipped through the cracks of my own life.
I was bartending in Kansas City, estranged from my family, with no real support. Feeling hopeless, I tried hard drugs for the first time. From ages 32 to 40, I was addicted to meth and heroin because I didn’t believe my life could ever turn around. I lived in the moment, with no hope for the future, using drugs to escape reality. I knew that path led to either jail or death, but I didn’t care. Even when I did care, I still lied to myself, thinking I was different from others. I spent time in eight jails across Missouri and Kansas and was arrested multiple times for drug possession and identity theft.
In 2019, I was in custody for eight months in Johnson County, Kansas. My mom helped me get into Freeway Ministries in Springfield in 2020, but I wasn’t ready to surrender fully to God. I stayed for only a few days before leaving for a faith-based sober living house in Kansas City for 10 months. The lack of structure made it easy for me to fall back into old habits. I violated my probation, went on the run for two years, and became addicted to Fentanyl. In November 2022, I was arrested again and spent 15 months in jail.
During my time in jail, I hit rock bottom. After being placed in solitary confinement (the hole) for 21 days, I felt utterly hopeless. It was during this time that my parents were praying for God to reveal Himself to me, and He did. I found a Max Lucado book with Luke 9:24 in it: “Whoever tries to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” That verse hit me hard. I realized I had lost my life by living for myself, and the hope of losing it for God was empowering. I began reading the Bible daily.
After being released from solitary, I was transferred to maximum security in New Century, Kansas. I spent 13 months in a pod of 18 cells, allowed out only one hour per day. During this time, God was at work in me. I finally had the clarity and stillness to recognize that the Creator of the universe loved me enough to stop me in my tracks. My mom said to me, “Kelly, you are one of the 99, and He is coming after you.”
Hebrews 12:10-11 says, “They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Through suffering and His Word, God revealed Himself to me, and I prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill me and make me a better person. In January of this year, I was transferred to Clay County, Missouri, where I faced a two-year prison sentence for probation violation. I applied to Freeway Ministries in Marshfield, and just before I was due to sign a guilty plea, my public defender told me that Freeway had agreed to take me in. When the judge accepted this, I was released that day.
I came directly to Marshfield Freeway Ministries in February, where my new church welcomed me with open arms. Since then, God has answered every prayer. I have fully surrendered my life to Him and am incredibly thankful for the support I’ve received in this program. I can be completely honest about my past without judgment, surrounded by people who love and encourage me daily. I now talk to my parents every morning about what God is doing in my life, which is precious to me. I’ve reconnected with my family, met my six-year-old nephew, and regained my driver’s license after 14 years. I am also warrant-free.
Today, I attend church and Bible study seven nights a week, and it has been a tremendous blessing. I sing at Freeway services every other Saturday and have not missed a single event. God has given me strength, and I am learning that through submission, He answers all my prayers. I believe He has completely removed my substance abuse problem, and I will never return to the darkness because I am now addicted to the light.
John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
I thought it would be cool to share something that happened in jail. Since I spent 23 hours a day in my cell, I tried to keep busy. One day, I decided to write out my life story. I thought, “I’m 40, this should take a while.” But as I sat down, all I could write was, “I was born selfish, stubborn, and rebellious—and here I still sit, selfish, stubborn, and rebellious.” I remember thinking, “I was really hoping that would take more time than it did!” But that was the old story, and thanks to God, Marshfield Freeway Ministries, and countless prayers, that’s not how my story ends anymore. That was just the beginning.